The American Pain Society (APS) was formed by American clinicians, researchers, and
teachers in the field of pain in response to a growing interest in and need for a
national pain organization that would also serve as a chapter of the International
Association for the Study of Pain. The society was to foster research and education in
the multidisciplinary field of pain in the United States.

Organizational work began in 1977, when John J. Bonica, on February 18, sent a letter to
twenty-six other key American colleagues asking them to attend a meeting in Chicago just
sixteen days later as members of "the Advisory Committee for the founding of the American
Pain Society." Despite the short notice, all but six of the invitees attended the
meeting. (Bonica missed it as well due to complications from hip surgery.) All motions
were unanimously approved: the decision to found a national society compatible with the
IASP; the provision for regional, state, or other subgroups; that B. Berthold Wolff-who
was co-chairing the meeting along with B. Raymond Fink--should chair a Steering
Committee; and that there would be a Membership Committee.

Membership in the Society was initially solicited by Wolff in a letter dated June 28,
1977 and sent to all American members of the IASP and its Eastern and Western Regional
Chapters. Ultimately, there were 510 charter members of the Society by the time it was
officially inaugurated in December, 1978. The APS had its first Annual Scientific Meeting
in San Diego on September 9-10, 1979.

In 1989, 63% of APS members responding to a survey voted that the APS should have its own
journal.
APS Journal debuted with the Spring 1992 issue and
has been published as
Pain Forum since 1995.

In the past twenty years, membership has grown to include over 3000 pain professionals.

Scope and Content

The American Pain Society Records represent a period of growth for the Society. Although
foundational documents are minimal, the collection features correspondence and records of
the activities that built the organization, during the 1980s, into what it is today.
These documents include financial papers, committee formations, the records of important
general and board meetings, membership building practices, and publication records,
including the membership's decision to publish a journal.

The American Pain Society Records were processed in 1998 by David C. Gartrell. The
collection is organized into five major series. Brief descriptions of each follow.

Series Description

Administrative

Scope and Content Note

The Administrative series is comprised of such elements as accreditation of the society,
committee assignments, elections, correspondence, awards, and pre-1986 "historical"
materials. Dates in this series span 1981-1990.

This series covers the various APS publications, including
Principles of Analgesic Use in the Treatment of Acute Pain and Chronic
Cancer Pain
aka
Analgesic Guide, the
Directory of Pain Management Facilities, and the APS Newsletter.
Also represented is the member survey that supported the publication of an APS journal,
analgesic guide, directory of pain clinics, APS newsletters.

Container List

Administrative

Box 1, Folder 1

General Issues of Concern. [Requests for information on TENS device], [1988].

Box 1, Folder 2

General Issues of Concern. TENS - Dr. Gershkoff, [1988].

Box 1, Folder 3

General Issues of Concern. IPF Grants, [1987].

Box 1, Folder 4

General Issues of Concern. APS Membership Info/Brochure, [1988].

Box 1, Folder 5

General Issues of Concern. American Academy of Pain Management, [1988].